Jajpur: The celebration of Dharmasala MLA Pranab Balabantaray's birthday at Bajragiri Nodal UP School in Kotapur panchayat of Odisha's Jajpur district on Sunday has sparked a controversy.

According to reports, the event was organized by Dharmasala BJD's youth and student wings at the government-run educational institution, in the absence of the legislator.

Surprisingly, even though it was a Sunday, both students and teachers participated in the celebrations, donning their uniforms.

The event included a cake-cutting ceremony and a banner bearing a photograph of the MLA with words 'Happy Birthday Bhai'.

The celebration has now drawn allegations of a breach of the model code of conduct from the Congress party. The controversy arises from the fact that the venue for the birthday celebration falls under zone no. 15 of the local Zilla Parishad, which is scheduled to witness a by-election on August 9.

Congress leader Kisan Panda accused the BJD of violating the model code of conduct, which is currently in force in zone no. 15. He questioned as to how permission was granted to celebrate the BJD MLA's birthday in a government school.

The Congress filed a complaint against the BJD for this alleged violation with the Block Development Officer (BDO) of Dharmasala.